Success!  We all know it can happen.

How I found my great grandparents by Bradley L. Dina

When I first decided to trace my family tree I thought it to be an impossible task.  The odds of finding family were slim to none as my mother was raised in a foster home.  At the time I started I only knew my grandmothers name was Eleanor Petrovich and that she had a child out of wedlock in 1937 with my grandfather William Hull.  That child  was my mother Patricia Ann Hull.

After doing a little research on the internet I was able to find a source for my grandmothers obituary which gave me her maiden name Swanda and the names of her siblings.  Further searching on the internet for the name Swanda led me to a second cousin whom I didn't even know existed.  My second cousin Dennis and I conversed by Email until we were able to verify the family connection.  Thanks Dennis!!  Together Dennis and I found out we shared the same great grandparents Joseph Swanda and Elizabeth Kemmerling.  Stop by and visit Dennis's home page at http://pw1.netcom.com/~dbusser/male.html

How my Grandmother's sister my Great Grandparents and her family were found by Bradley L. Dina

A short time after I discovered my second cousin Dennis I received an Email from someone who noticed a posting I made on one of the genealogy message boards.  It was only a matter of a day or two that I found out my grandmother had a sister and the person who sent me the Email was in fact the grand daughter of my grandmothers sister.  I was able to learn a little bit more about my family through her.  Thanks Debbie!!

Feel free to Email me onedown@earthlink.net with your own success stories.  I'd be happy to post as many as I can on this page.